StarPhantom: A StarFox FanFiction
by Kanmeros
Summary: StarPhantom is set in the timeframe between StarFox64 and StarFox Adventures, althought the Prologue is set in the first StarFox videogame in the SNES. This Fanfiction is based around the StarFox universe.
1. StarPhantom: A StarFox FanFiction

  
  
  
  
  
STARPHANTOM 

  
A Starfox fan-fiction written by:

  
Kanmeros

Starfox, and anything related to it is Copyright © Nintendo

  



	2. The Cast of Characters

The Cast:  
  
StarDragon Squadron:   
Jason Alexander Riley: (German Shepard) Leader of the Skeleton Squad. Once Captain of the now disbanded CDF Emerald Squadron. Proffesional Boxer and winner of many Boxing events.  
  
**Fanafox McCloud: (Red Vixen) Half sister of Starfox McCloud. Top aereal fighter, and hand-to-hand combat soldier. Transferred from the aereal base in Coneria to aid in the battle against the space pirates sorrunding the Tarsidian System. Hot tempered but extremely loyal to the cause of justice. Relatives: Starfox McCloud, brother.  
  
*Roo: (Blue-furred feline)Feline pilot who graduated from the CDF Academy with top honors. Silent, shy, and extremely serius when a mission is briefed.  
  
***Ramirez Denetsu Opacare: (German Shepard/Wolfian mix) Leader of the 38 CDF squadron, promoted to the Skeleton Squad by confidential meetings. Laidback and keeps his head cool in any situation.   
  
Martyr Desertfox: (Coyote) Graduated from an Academy from another galaxy. Extremely focused on any mission given to her. Her eyes can outmatch most scopes in airships and laser guns. Sniper-class ensign and aereal pilot. Crown rank in the infrantry force.  
  
Other Crew flying aboard the Emerald Valiant:   
  
Admiral Ulysess Corfern: (Blue-eyed, black and white-furred Male Husky) Senior Member and Commander of the Emerald Valiant. His reputation for leadership has gained him the respect from many political figures in Corneria.  
  
Gregory McFang: (Dingo, Male) Weapons director and shield generator engineer.   
  
***Alura Radinov: (Black Collie Tervurenian, Female) Tactical strategist/chief navigator of Tervuren descent aboard the Emerald Valiant. She consults with General Corfern before passsing on any missions across the Tarsdian System.   
  
****Thorne: (Black Panther, female) Bartender inside the Emerald Valiant.  
  
Seth Silverwolf: (Timberwolf) Boyfriend of Thorne, bouncer at the SleekKitten bar.  
  
Other Cast:   
Starfox McCloud: (Red Fox, Male) Leader Wingman and Captain of the Great Fox.   
  
Falco Bombardi: (Male Falcon) Right Wing of Starfox's Squad. Quick tempered and highly versatile in run-in missions. He quit the team after the encounter with Starwolf, and is now leader of his own winged Arwing squad inside the Emerald Valiant.  
  
Space Pirate Crimson Berde: (White-Furred Vixen) Leader of the newly space pirate force RAYDEN. Her intelligence has helped her dodge many traps set by both the CDF and the remaining forces of the Venomian Armada.  
  
Rumors state that she may had cut a deal with Andross to ensure her security in the Tarsean Sector...  
  
Marx Velldale: (Male Falcon) Once a Captain for an elite Armada against the Venomians, Marx left everything behind when war in the galaxy broke out. His whole family was wiped out when CDF engaged Venomia. He blames the CDF, however, and has zero tolerance for the Venomians themselves.  
  
* = Character owned by Misteroo, used with his permission.  
  
** = Character owned by Fana McCloud, used with her permission.  
  
*** = Characters owned by Eric Luck, used with his permission.  
  
**** = Character owned by Thorne, used with her permission.  
  
Starfox, Fox McCloud, Falco Bombardi, Kat, are all owned and © Nintendo.  
  
The rest of the characters above are owned, and copyright © Kanmeros/Manuel J. Patino.  



	3. The Prologue: StarFox Run

PROLOGUE: STARFOX RUN  
  
  
The Star squads soared trough the blue skies of Corneria, each forming into there respecting groups. StarFox was in the middle of them, flying behind the other two squads that were to engage in combat shortly. Fox opened communication with his team as routine demanded, all before their fighters reached the cold vacuum of space.  
  
"Fox McCloud here, everyone check your status."  
  
"No problems here, Fox." Came a cheery reply from Slippy.  
  
"I'm ready Fox." Falco Bombardi said in a gruff tone of voice.  
  
"Ready to teach those Venomians a lesson they will never forget!" Peppi replied.  
  
In time, other status quota from the rest of the squadrons wheezed by in Fox's helmet. Each checking positive checks on their Arwings. They reached the Asteroid belt shortly, which was all that remained between them and the Venomian Armada. Slippy turned his head around and caught a glimpse of the Great Eagle, hovering to the side of StarFox squad.  
  
"Whoa...-ribbit- look at the size of that ship!" Slippy said, maneuvering his Arwing close to the Starfox team. Falco turned his eyes at the side of his window, catching a glimpse of three Arwings that looked anything but the models they were flying. They came from the top hatch of the Great Eagle, which started to move out of range as the new Arwings began their run towards the asteroid belt.  
  
"Those must be the new Arwings General Pepper spoke of," Peppi said, while appearing on Falco's holo-screen "They seem kind of slow, but look at all that armament they are carrying..."  
  
"Quit the chatter team, we are approaching the asteroid belt." Fox said, cutting off every other communication that was not related to the mission. Light turbulence met the heroes, followed by a screen full of asteroids that covered the entire radar in each Arwing. Each ship of the Star squadrons maneuvered around rock and debris that floated around in space carefully.   
  
The Star Squadrons were careful not to touch the asteroids. Even if their fighters were covered with high-energy shields, the battle ahead would be a lot more difficult with their power reduced. Fox saw an opening on the end of the asteroid belt, and sped up his Arwing, signaling the rest of his group to follow him through it. Moments later, StarLion and StarRaven both followed suit, being glad that they came out in one piece.  
  
Red alert was sound inside each Arwing fighter, buzzing as the radar picked up signals of Venom warships appearing everywhere. Soon, there were smaller craft coming from the Star carriers, speeding up to the Star squadron's location. The war had begun.  
  
"I'm picking up bogeys at 12, at least 7 enemy ships with a leader on its front and on sets of 3 per squad." A pilot from StarRaven announced. Fox entered a code on the computer's keyboard of his ship, turning on the attack mode on the Arwing. Voices in his headset were heard, preparing for battle.  
  
"All Star squads, this StarRaven, check in your status and prepare for battle, I repeat, state your status and stand by for battle. StarRaven, Arwing numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4, standing by."  
  
"StarLion, Arwings 5, 6, 7, and 8, standing by."  
  
"StarCobra, Arwing fighters 12, 13, 14, and 15, all standing by."  
  
"StarFox, Arwings 16, 17, 18, and 19, standing by. Team, align your ships in attack positions, get ready."  
  
***  
  
Fox McCloud flew in, his ship flying past a few Venomian aggressors, targeting them one by one, explosion after explosion of each successful shot. Falco, Peppy, and Slippy were behind him, covering his ship from any enemy fire. On the far end of the dogfight, stood the newly built ARM-16s in a squadron of three and lead by Jason Alexander Riley transferred Captain from the CDF. His eyes were focused on the battle, miles away near the asteroid belt. StarLion and StarRaven both stood side-by-side, stopping Venom from entering the Asteroid belt at any cost.  
  
"This is Fox McCloud, we have engaged the Venomian starship, requesting backup to continue the assault, over." The fox's voice sounded cool and under control despite the sound of laser beams and explosions in the transmission.   
  
"This is Admiral Corgan from Great Eagle, request denied, Starfox. We must wait until we can send in the bombers. Hang on until we can get close enough to the Venomian Armada, over."  
  
"With all due respect sir, we are being chased around like prey. The Venomians will try to go trough despite our efforts to slow them down. We need that back up. Over."  
  
"Understood, just hang on for a while longer, we will start moving on to aid you".  
  
"Roger that, sir. Starfox out." His voice trailed off in an irritated tone inside Jason's headset. He moved his neck around slowly, cracking his bones and trying to relax while at the same time trying to stand still instead of leading the new squad to engage with the enemy. A few seconds later, he received a closed-circuited request transmission, he keyed in the passcode to let it trough, and a holo-screen with Martyr Desertfox's face appeared to his right.  
  
"I say we go in despite what Admiral Corgan said. It's getting quite boring in here."  
  
A second beep and a different holo-screen appeared, this time, with Wrangler Kardiak's face, a leopard, "I agree, our ships are heavily armored and we can take a large chunk of those venoscumbags. I say we go for it."  
  
Jason sighed and shook his head, affixing the transmission and making sure no one else beside his own squadron was receiving the messages "We are not to engage combat until we are ordered to do so, team. We would be sitting ducks while trying to avoid heavy fire from the enemy cruisers. First, we need starship fighters to help us make this run. Be patient the lot of you".  
  
A grunt from Martyr was heard as she closed her window, followed by a sigh from the leopard before closing his. A few moments that seemed like an eternity came to pass, making him even more uncomfortable than before. Still, he did not heard of any losses from Starfox's squadron. A fine pilot this fox was. The first run of the newly bomber class ships was to attack the main Venomian cruiser from the top of the ship, while Starfox's team infiltrated the ship, blasting the main reactors with smart bombs from the inside. All was planned while the Blue squadron would escort them safely, flying between the enemy cruiser and the other Cornerian ships, serving as both shields and a diversion for the three bombers that would make a successful run.   
  
Jason was hailed from the Cornerian star cruiser this time; he opened the channel to answer it.  
  
"This is Admiral Corgan to all units. Check in your numbers and start leading the bombers trough the blind spot designated. StarRaven, back Starfox up. StarFalchion, move out and stay within the reach of your protectors until you begin your run. Over and out."   
  
Thank you for wishing us luck, sir. Jason thought, grimacing and opening his channel to the rest of the squad, "This is Jason Collins to bomber units, get ready to move out. Remember; do not get out the designated area. Good luck."  
  
The roar of the heavyset bombers was ignited, following the smaller starships ahead of them. The bombers would fly around the Venomian armada, while Starfox's units along with the Blue Squadron would diverse enemy fire from their location.   
  
As his ship was closing within battle range, Jason was starting to receive a clearer signal from all the Conerian ships engaged in battle. Sounds of metal clashing with missiles and lasers made a chaotic symphony in his ears.  
  
"Get away from me, you fiend!" Peppy's voice was heard, having trouble shaking off a Venomian ship on his tail. Seconds later an explosion was heard, and Starfox's voice came out from the other end.  
  
"Don't worry Peppy, I got your back. Moving into the Armada's star cruiser now." Fox hailed to all Star squads, Jason nodded.  
  
"That's our cue, team." he said,"All units move in."   
  
Jason's ship moved into one side of the Venomian armada. Moments later, the rest of the squadron followed close by. His headset picked up even more distress calls, many of them from Cornerians being shot down by the gigantic enemy cruiser. Jason grimaced; a lot of sacrifices were being made to get this mission done.   
  
His group flew over the top of the Venomian ship unnoticed, and began the run. A small hatch started opening from the bottom of squadron's ships, revealing the ground bombs that were to be dropped above the cruiser. As the bombers flew on top of it, they began releasing the bombs on top, touching the haul heavily with enormous explosions that were seen miles away by both sides of the space battlefield. Soon after, rows of sheer flames began rising behind them.   
  
"Keep those thrusters high, team. We have to get out before the big explosion occurs. Martyr, Wrangler, how are you holding up?"   
  
"Steady and no problems here," Martyr replied "But I wish this damned turbulence would cease already".  
"Wrangler?" Jason asked.  
  
"I am alright, Jason. A bit shaky but I am making it."  
  
Few moments after he received the reply, Jason noticed a small spark on the jaguar's left thruster. It soon began accumulating fire as the engine burst in flames. The ship soon began losing velocity, being gained upon quickly by the wave of flames behind it.   
  
"Sir, I am losing velocity on my ship! I can't hold up much longer!"  
  
"Wrangler, eject! Wrangler!"  
  
"I can't! My ship's being-"  
  
Wrangler's ship was quickly decimated as the flames finally gained on it. Martyr closed her eyes as the concurring chain of explosions kept gaining on the remaining bombers. Jason 's headset picked up nothing more than static from his fallen comrade.  
  
The Venomian star cruiser blew up entirely, making a huge flash around space. Jason and Martyr managed to fly away from the explosion, turning away from the battle altogether. A new signal came on headsets shortly after.  
  
"Admiral Corgan to all units. Report."  
  
"This is Starfox, mission accomplished. We were able to escape the Venomian cruiser on time. My squadron is in good shape, over".  
  
"This is StarRaven leader. We suffered a few causalities, but we have been able to chase the rest of the Venomian armada away. StarLion has been neutralized, over."  
  
"This is StarFalchion leader. We suffered one causality as well. The run was a successful, over."  
  
"Understood. StarRaven, report back to Corneria, StarFalchion, same. Starfox, continue with your mission, and Godspeed to you. Admiral Corgan, over and out".  
  
"Roger Admiral, this is Starfox signing off."  
  
Jason gritted his teeth as he and Martyr turned back to Corneria. The mission was successful, despite of losses being gained. The lost of Wrangler was deemed the worst, for he was his closest friend.   
  
Thoughts of vengeance and hatred swirled in his mind, but for now, there would be nothing he could do about it other than obey orders to fall back.   
  
  
  



	4. Chapter 1: Bittersweet Victory

Spacelog Entry 20116-555:  
  
  
Corneria shut down our strike force after the last incident in our first-run against the Venomian Armada. The Mandarian Arwings where to costly to maintain, let alone to replace any of them that got lost in battle. Although these were not excuses to stop any mission to take place in the future, Captain Jason A. Riley retired from the CFE elite, going back to his life of boxing and trying to forget the atrocity of losing a friend in battle.  
  
I exiled myself to a secluded area in a nearby galaxy, away from everybody and everything. I found out that there was deserves vacant in the infantry forces sent to that place, therefore I sign up for the sake of keeping my military skills sharp and active.   
  
All of this happened right after the wake for Ensign Wrangler Kardiak was over. He had neither family nor friends among the Cornerian forces, therefore me; Jason, and a few others from CEF were present at the funeral. It must have been difficult for Jason to let go of one of his closest friends in the aerial force.  
  
My days as pilot seemed long forgotten, that is, until I received a holo-message from Admiral Corgan to request my presence back in Corneria. I found out that the invitation was for Jason as well; fate would string our threads together once more...  
  
-Martyr Desertfox.  
  
Chapter 1: Bittersweet Victory   
  
Jason rested his left arm on the lawn chair while he held the newspaper with the other. A photo of him holding the title belt did not bring him any joy or amusement, much to his own discomfort.   
  
On his left, a small crystal table, which held a holo-com device that has played four messages about ten minutes ago. Two of them were from news reporters that were pt on hold when they asked for an interview the night he won the boxing match. One of them was about his medic asking for another appointment to take a look to that left eye of his (which was fully functional, it simply swollen the night he received Mandrill's pounding, but the physician wanted to make it a big deal), the last message was the only one that perplexed him the most.  
  
Fame was not in it.  
  
Worried doctors were not in it.  
  
Family was not in it.  
  
"CEF Headquarters, to recipient Jason O'Reily:  
  
Your presence is required one week from the date marked on this message. One of our officers will pick you on your home address at 0700 hours.   
  
Sincerely,  
  
Gral. Pepper, CEF HQ"  
  
The General's image faded as the message finished. It has been exactly one week after it was sent to his locker room that night in the boxing stadium, making his victory quite a bitter one.  
  
On the other hand, it was right on time as the officers that handed him the holo-chip walked out Mandrill, who was in a rampage trying to get Jason after the gold was taken from his bloody hands.  
  
"Hrm."  
  
He glanced over at the digital clock, blinking six fifty-eight in the morning. He closed his eyes, expecting his visitor to appear outside his apartment in any minute.  
  
buzz!  
  
"Right on cue."  
  
Jason stretched and walked towards the door, dressed on a wine-colored sweater and faded jeans, with brown boots that made heavy thuds on the carpeted room.   
  
buzz!  
  
Jason turned on the intercom near the doorframe, without turning on the mini-monitor that was above the blinking buttons.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Captain Jason O'Reily? I've come to hitch you a ride, sir." Replied a cheery female voice at the other end.  
  
Hitch you a ride?  
  
"Alright, I will be right out." Said Jason, opening the door slowly, his head looking to see who was that CEF just sent. A pink-furred cat in military uniform waved slightly, as she flashed a big smile.  
  
Kat.  
  
Tires squealed as Kat drove along the vast highway that connected the city. Jason felt glad that he was wearing a safety belt.   
  
"General Pepper has been hunting for you for weeks, Captain. CEF has been busy for sometime now, trying to contact officers around the clock. Something big's going on, but no one but the General and a few senior officers know what. They didn't let us-the small people- have all the juicy details."   
  
Jason rubbed the end of his nose with his hand, trying not to let her know that he did not want any part of this. She shifted gears in her sports car, evading any traffic that accumulated at that time of day. One intersection after another, she shifted gears, dashing or slowing down on the busy highway around the city.  
  
"I hope I am not boring you with this talk, sir. I am just trying to eat up time while I get you there." Kat looked at him for a second, her face beaming while her sunglasses reflected the glittering sun above.   
  
"Not at all, Kat." Jason said, grinning and hoping there would be nothing else said until he reached his destination.  
  
The CEF building was the first thing he saw in the horizon, white marbled over blue, proudly standing between the big city and the mountains that were behind it. This was the biggest building that was beside the aerial launch base that was used to deploy Arwing fighters into space. Sounds of ground tanks as well as space fighters filled the air around, muting the motor sounds of Kat's sports car. Headquarters looked good, being repaired after the last attack from Venom. Everything seemed the same around the premises before Jason.  
  
He felt like arriving home after a long exile.  
  
Kat pulled over to the security booth at the entrance of the military base, slowing down as a stripped sign lowered in front of her car. The door from the booth opened as a military officer came out, walking to the side of the vehicle.  
  
"Good afternoon, may I see your credentials, please."  
  
Kat handed the officer two plastic credentials, one red coated with a silver stripe, the other, blue with a white stripe on its side. The officer swiped the red credential on his holographic reader, data reading trough a holographic display. It revealed a body frame of Kat, with her stats reading on the side. A green light flashed on the device, approving it.  
  
The officer swiped the blue card, displaying the same contents of it, only this time there was no figure frame and the only words appearing on the screen were "CODE 0015: GUEST". A few moments later, Jason's name and stats appeared, with a photo of his profile and the security bar reading CIVILIAN. This time, the light was blue blinking for a few moments, and then turning green.  
  
The officer gave the credentials back to Kat, nodding at her as he went back inside the booth. The sign went up a few seconds later, allowing Kat mobilize her vehicle inside slowly. Jason turned and looked at her, a bit puzzled.  
  
"I've run into a few problems the last time I sped here," Kat replied to his silent question, her smile still beaming on her face. "But enough about me, we're almost there". Her car was half the speed when it rode trough a long paved road. Arwing garages, walking armored tanks, and officers in training were side by side as Jason gazed upon the short tour.  
  
Jason looked up at the sky turning gray, announcing the coming of a rainstorm. His mind was drifting into thoughts as dark as the clouds above as Kat parked the car in front of one of the main building at CEF. He wondered if the change in weather was to foreshadow on events yet to come.  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. Chapter 2: Revelations

CHAPTER 2: Revelations.   
Spacelog Entry 20116-553:  
  
It was a good time for Jason to show up in the Academy again. He sounded surprised when he saw me walking into the same chamber where the objective of the mission was to be briefed. He didn't seem as happy to come back, however. Of course, I would make sure that was not the case once he was in full uniform...  
  
-Martyr Desertfox   
  
  
  
  
The hallway was filled with comments of awe from male cadets as well as the giddy giggling from females. Not everyday a celebrity walked trough the CEF building. Jason did not want this much attention, especially in this building.  
  
"They must be surprised to see such a celebrity in here," Kat said, while leading him to the elevators. Jason pretended not to hear her, while avoiding more expectators trying to greet him.   
  
"So tell me, how's life in boxing?" Kat continued, looking at him while waiting for the elevator to come down.   
  
"Not bad, actually, getting paid while beating people up. Can't beat that."  
  
Kat grinned, finally getting him to say something after the awkward silence that he projected when they entered the building. The elevator's doors opened, and she stepped aside.  
  
"After you," she said with an exaggerated gesture. "I will show you the way to the conference room."  
  
He had wished the point of coming back would be for autographs and a scheduled fight, not to strap a uniform on him again. The feel for that wish intensified once he arrived on the conference room, with Kat leading in front of him.   
  
A vast room it was, oval in shape, aquamarine carpeting with the CEF insignia on the middle. On the back of the wall there was a table that was shaped as a circle cut in half, with chairs behind it. And on each chair, a different official dressed in various uniform colors, defining their ranks. However, General Pepper didn't seem to be present. One of the officers, a lion, stood up and extended his hand, his uniform was pale green and bore an admiral's rank on each shoulder. The name Rodernberg was shown with golden letters on a black nametag.  
  
"Mister Jason O'Riley?"  
  
Jason shook his hand, with an uneasy feeling in his mind. He smiled nonetheless, trying to humor them the best he allowed them to. Admiral Rodernberg nodded to Kat, who saluted in return. The feline female exited with nothing more to say.  
  
"Please take a seat." The lion replied while taking his seat once more. Jason sat down reluctantly, preparing for whatever it is that this meeting was about. Officers looked at him attentively, but only the admiral was the one who started the meeting.  
  
"We know you have taken a leave of absence to retire a as civilian in Corneria, Mister O'Riley," he began, "and we also know that you do not wish to come back to CEF. At least, not anytime soon. You have been exiled to a life of boxing, a career that has worked for you for the last three years."  
  
He cleared his throat and opened a folder in front of him. Jason was about to comment on what was said, but he refrained from doing so. He just wanted to see where this was leading first. The admiral turned his attention once more to Jason with the same stern look on his face.  
  
"However, CEF needs you and now more than ever. You were one of the three test pilots to maneuver the prototype Arwing Mandarian 16 during the raid in Corneria by Venom. As you remember, these Arwings have not been done in mass production then, and were used because of the situation back then."  
Jason did not like where this was going.  
  
"During that battle with Venom's armada, one of your pilots -and close friend as we have been informed, - died. Three months after that event you resigned from duty, claiming that you could no longer act under the burden that was carried on your shoulders. We had understood that was one of the reasons why you left CEF for good in that time."  
  
Jason's hands curled into fists on the armrest of the chair. Rodernberg noted this and relaxed forward on his seat, holding his hands together. He then turned his head to his right, looking at the rabbit with the fancy eyewear on his face. "Captain Martinez?"  
  
Martinez nodded and raised a document on his own while fixing his eyeglasses. "As Admiral Rodernberg stated, this was not the only reason why you quit CEF altogether. On the night prior to your decision, you talked to another officer about the real reason why you left." Martinez stopped and looked at Jason, who had an irritated look on his face. The Captain closed his own documents and laid them down on the table, looking back at the Admiral.  
  
"Yes, we know well what was discussed that night, Mister O'Riley." Rodernberg sighed and nodded solemnly to him. "We a CEF are a proud army, we always fought for the freedom of our people and the Lylat system, yet we have our faults.  
  
"As I mentioned earlier, the ARM-16 was not a production model, therefore only three ships were distributed. Our economy was collapsing thanks to the war, and materials were extremely scarce. We built each of those star crafts from what little we had in our power."  
  
Rodernberg rested his left hand on his forehead and cocked his head to the side. Jason heard a hint of regret on the Admiral's tone. This was getting more curious by the minute.  
  
"On that night you spoke to another of your closest friends, Sgt. Martyr Desertfox. You assumed that CEF was upset about losing one of their ships more than were about losing the life of an officer. Indeed, the lost of that ship cost us dearly, and there were at the time nothing that could replace it."  
  
He rested his hand on the table and looked straight at Jason's eyes. Jason's tension elevated at this point, he wanted to shout at everybody and leave just like that fateful night on which he decided to take his life elsewhere. He was also three years younger and ridden with painful emotions.  
  
Not today.  
  
"Nothing would be far from the truth, it was our mistake that led to your dismissal, Mister O'Riley. Believe us, we would have left you life your new life as you have wanted. We do not have the right to force you into coming back to help CEF, but we do need you back to defend Corneria against the new threat that is facing. It is a manner of patriotism, Mister O'Riley. We in CEF hope that you can lend your services to us one more time. What do you say to this?"  
  
Jason pushed his seat back and stood up firmly, the admiral and the rest of the officers turned their gaze up to him.   
  
"I say that CEF can deal with their own problems, Admiral Rodernberg. I am a civilian now and have my own life to take care of. I now know that my assumptions were correct in that time I left your forces, and that is indeed, the truth behind my decision. I am sorry, Admiral, you will have to look for someone else this time."  
  
"I understand," Rodernberg, replied solemnly, "however, if you could take tonight and think your decision over, we would be most grateful. You can call us back tomorrow with your definite answer, Mister O'Riley. I am sure she would like to have you back in her team, however."  
  
Jason raised his left eyebrow and looked at the Admiral with a question on his face. The lion raised his right hand and pointed at the exit behind the German shepherd. Jason turned and saw a black and white furred female coyote leaning against the doorframe. She was wearing a leather jumpsuit which shone against the pale lights of the room, and her arms were crossed n her chest. A smirk was on her face, her black eyes looking straight at him.  
  
"Hey there Jason," she said. "What do you say we have a talk over a date for old time's sake?"  
  
***  
  
Ah yes, Martyr Desertfox. "Friend. Colleague. Lover." Jason had it hard to believe that she was still with CEF after the tragedy, then again, Martyr had a strong code of responsibility that would not let her quit her day job.   
  
He also knew that she loved barking orders to cadets during training session.  
  
The female Coyote had markings that were too sharp for one of her kind, let alone the colors that would make it difficult for anyone to consider her species. Her face bore a birthmark that showed trough her fur, on her left cheek, and her eyes were like black pearls that penetrated into anyone that looked into them. Her hair, even darker than her fur, was spiked almost to a Mohawk, and braided to her back. Her hair would give blue highlights when looked at from a certain angle.  
  
She was transferred from planet Randross, located in the outskirts of the Draconis Empiria galaxy, five years ago. Her marksmanship and leadership skills amazed many superiors in CEF, and with good reason; the coyote's life only revolved around war.  
  
Martyr has known war since she was 14 years old. In her home planet, there was constant war between all the continents, because fresh water was insufficient. Planet Randross was in the brinks of extinction due to the careless use of technology and waste of natural resources. Her father forced her to join the infantry under his command, and since then, she has not the pleasure of knowing carefree life, unlike many young cadets in CEF.  
  
Her first assignment earned her high merits when she was 16 years old, but it also scarred her emotionally for life. The memory still blazes inside her mind like wildfire charring a forest, but she has managed to suppress it well. No one- not even her closest acquaintance, Jason, - has ever known about this.  
  
They both sat on a bench outside headquarters; the air was filled with a spicy aroma that was present after rainstorm has stopped. By now, sunset was appearing, and the sun was sinking on the mountains far away from the city. The sky was turned from gray to a variety of orange and pink colors. Jason knew that Martyr would bring up the conversation about re-joining CEF soon enough, but he decided to forget about it until then. They spoke of times past, and everything that had happened in between. She told him of rookies and their behavior in training sessions, he told her about the latest match and how he survived eight rounds against a monster of a contender.   
  
Both admired the afternoon spectacle for a short while, and this brought Jason solemn peace and relaxation. Martyr picked up his hand, and he felt the light grip that she pressed upon it. Jason turned his head and looked at her with a question that had yet to escape his muzzle.  
  
"I know that you still burdened with what happened that time, Jason." she said, "I too, have been trough hell every night after our friend was lost. We need your help, however, I can't do this alone."  
  
Jason noted her face, her fur colored by the afternoon sunset, her black eyes shining with the orange glow of the sun reflecting upon them. He found himself speechless, both about the whole situation and of the splendid image of the female besides him.  
  
"I need time to think about this." He finally said, although these were not the words his heart wanted to blurt out. Martyr leaned close to him and kissed his forehead.  
  
"Take the whole night if you need to." She said, and stood up, walking away from him as the last rays of the sun were vanishing from view. Her body formed a dark silhouette in the immediate darkness.  
  
As the sun decided to call it a day, Jason prepared to make his decision before calling it a night.  
  
***  
  
The next morning Jason joined headquarters once again, confirming his comeback to CEF after years of absence. He was treated to a new uniform and the corresponding medals of Honor that represented his rank. Jason the boxing champion was now Captain Jason, and nothing else seemed to matter about it. The Captain entered an empty room and waited at the corner of the establishment. Moments later, Martyr walked inside, holding a few bundles of papers that were held together by means of a piece of wool.  
  
  
He took an invitation given to her to sit down. The room itself seemed pretty much like the one they had visited before. Few plants were placed here holographic screen glared from a wall. He held on his hands various folders, but he was not permitted to open them up just yet. On the other side of the table where he was seated, Martyr held the same amount of documented files, and like him, she kept them closed. On the cover of each folder appeared the word "CONFIDENTIAL" in vivid red, but this did not made Jason any curious about them.   
  
Martyr adjusted the screen with a remote control, and began displaying status of CEF officials who appeared simultaneously onscreen. Jason remembered some of the faces in there, but some others he had no recollection of ever meeting with them.  
  
"Captain Riley?" said an old and frail voice. It was from an old chimpanzee whose face appeared on another vidscreen, this being at the left side of the room. This screen was separate from the one Martyr was using as well. Jason turned his head to the voice and perked his ears. Jason accepted his title the time he traveled with Martyr, but is uniform was still being transferred. Calling him a Captain was something he would have to get used to once more.  
  
"Sergeant Martyr Desertfox shall introduce you hand picked members of the CEF. These individuals will be enlisted in your new squadron named StarDragon."  
  
Jason turned his eyes to Martyr, who crossed her arms while paying attention to the screen herself.  
  
"Furthermore," the ape continued, "you are to report to hangar 18 at 0800, your ships shall be waiting for your arrival. Make sure to read the manuscript written by CEF's engineering staff for any quick references about the MAR-16. Are there any questions so far?"  
  
Jason hesitated. "Not at all, sir."  
  
"Very well," the officer said with a smile that would make children run away in horror. "Sergeant, you may continue with the scheduled procedure, over and out."  
  
The screen vanished with no noise whatsoever. Jason felt relieved. He had seen far too many faces in one day that he would in a boxing ring during a sold-out event. In fact, he was beginning to get bored with the whole thing CDF was planning for him. He still would not forgive them for their decisions; therefore he felt that they should not take his decision for granted.   
  
Martyr picked up a remote control and pointed it to the giant holographic screen. After a few seconds, the words "STARDRAGON PROFILE SHEET" flashed with utmost eagerness. Another set of seconds and both their faces were visible onscreen. Jason noted the ranks on top of their photos: His named bared the assign Wingman rank, while Martyr was assigned the secondary chain of command of the squad. Other than so, there was nothing more on display besides holographic buttons that allowed the viewer access to more information on their profile.  
  
"That's us," said the Coyote with a slight ring of amusement in her voice, "nothing much to say about our profiles, except that we both have the worst pictures ever taken by a photographer-in-training. I'll just skip our bios and proceed with our chosen children."  
  
A few taps in the remote and the screen shimmered. A few moments later the screen pulled itself together once more, displaying the picture of a young vixen staring back at Jason. Her features were that of a red fox, markings neatly edged around her muzzle, her hair was full and neatly cared for. A small hint of a smirk appeared on her brow and mouth, her eyes glittering with the all knowledge of a mischief. Jason followed the written profile besides the photo, and noticed a familiar name.  
  
"Fana McCloud." Martyr said.  
  
Jason's eyebrows rose in wonderment.   
  
  



	6. Chapter 3: CEF's Finest

CHAPTER 3: CEF's finest.  
  
  
Spacelog Entry 20116-555:  
  
Fana Fox was one tough vixen, with a personality much different from her brother, the infamous Fox McCloud. Some of our crew found it difficult to get along with her, but I found no trouble in a woman whose thoughts are well put in her job.  
  
She often reminded me of myself when I was her age.  
  
-Martyr Desertfox   
  
  
Loud music.  
  
Drunken males.  
  
Hard liquor.  
  
Disgusting drunken males.  
  
Fanafox pondered which of these facts bothered her the most as she stared into her half-empty drink, losing track of time inside The Laughing Hyena, one of many pubs located at the edge of the city she was assigned into. She was wearing civilian clothing, a v-cut purple shirt with denim jeans and brown boots since it was her day off.   
  
Her mind stated that she was not drunk, while her body indicated otherwise...especially when she was trying to tell her legs to take her home. Her visit to Fortuna was less than exceptional.   
  
Especially since she wanted to be in outer space, exploring new star systems while handing Andross his ass if he attempted to interfere with her adventures. Her mood would get better if she could order another shot of beer and tequila, but she was short in credits by this time.   
  
"Damn it all." the vixen sighed, resting her cheek on her left fist.   
  
She heard the door open at the bar, followed by voices of young males walking inside, one an eagle, other a fox, with a gray-furred wolf leading the small group inside. They wore blue and satin-lined uniforms, all clean and neatly worn, it was apparent that these young males were midranks from the Academy here in Fortuna. Whatever that was the case; Fana didn't care in the least.  
  
"Yeah man, I'm getting drunk and LAID tonight!" one of them said out loud...too loud as a matter of fact while his friends chuckled at his wishes. Fana rolled her eyes and took another sip from her drink. She looked from the corner of her eye that the boys were whispering to one another; all the while their eyes were fixated on her. Her gaze once again turned away once the wolf started walking her way.  
  
Another sip from her drink.  
  
The male wolf sat beside her, while ordering a round for himself and his friends. She could smell the sharp-musky odor of his cologne. It would seem that this kid kept spending his daddy's money on looks, rather than on books.  
  
"May I see your Holo-ID, please." The bartender said, extending a feathered hand. The cadet complied quickly, along with his credits card. "Just put it all in my tab, good man, my friends will be waiting for his drinks on that table over there".  
  
The bartender gave his Holo-ID back along with a cordial smile as he prepared to fill up the drinks. The wolf on the other hand, turned his gaze towards Fana.  
  
"Rough times, huh?" He said in a friendly tone.   
  
Fana turned her head towards the wolf, not changing her expression. She read his eyes; signs of him wanting to have a one-night stand were encrypted in them. Fana turned her gaze back to her own glass, resuming her contemplation. The wolf chuckled, sliding a bit closer to her while resting his arms on the surface of the bar.  
  
"Hey princess, what's the matter? Life giving you a hard time? " His breath stunk even worse than his intentions. Fana sat straight, rubbing her neck with her left hand. The wolf raised his eyebrows; all the while laughter and mocking phrases were heard from his friends at a table behind him. He turned his attention to them, while giving them the finger. The bartender sided a mug full of beer towards him, which he caught with his other hand.  
  
Before he could drink it, the wolf reached closer to her, his nose barely touching her cheek. Fana lowered her eyelids halfway, trying to ignore him the best way she could.  
  
"...Oh man, he's going for the kill!" was what she heard before she felt a hand stretching on her left leg, caressing her blue jeans up and down. Fana's eyes opened again, her pupils narrowing to slits.  
  
"So...how 'bout I buy you a drink, huh? Maybe that'll cheer you up, sweetheart?"  
  
Fana turned her torso towards him with a smile this time. Her right hand reached over the wolf's mug.  
  
"Don't mind if I do..." she said as she started downing the drink without pause. The wolf's eyes wide-eyed as so did his comrades who were as dumbfounded at the vixen.   
  
"Whoa...you sure are a hard drinker...I like you already."   
  
More snickers from the back of him.  
  
Fana finished the last gulp of the beer...before smashing the glass on the wolf's face. He stumbled backwards, screaming in agony as his busy hands were now covering his bloody snout. No more laughter now.  
  
His friends came to his assistance in a hurry, the fox being the first to stand up to face her.  
  
"You bitch! What the hell is wrong with you, I ought to teach you a-"  
  
Whatever was that he was planning to teach her ended up in a haze full of starry lights and sounds in his head as Fana uppercut him right under his chin. The knocked out fox fell behind, landing on the eagle just when he was trying to help up the wounded wolf. The eagle was pushed backwards to the darkness, and all what Fana heard was a crash and the sound of a male-a booming-drunken sound of a male- getting up and cussing at him.  
  
Seconds later, there was cries of pain and heavy blows being landed all over the unfortunate young eagle, followed by another crash of glass from another side.  
  
"BARFIGHT!"  
  
Chaos erupted; Fana dodged glasses, bottles, and the occasional drunk flying over the counter. In time, she joined as well, fighting off other customers.  
  
"Aw, hell not again." The bartender said, while crouching behind the bar with a steel pipe on his hands. A chair missed Fana and end up hitting another male that was to knock her out with an electric taser on his hand. There was a leopard closing onto her, sending a wooden stick (which was the remains of a table nearby) down to her face. Fana parried with her right arm as the stick broke in half. The leopard looked at his broken weapon in confusion, seconds before Fana sent him flying outside a window with a punch from the same arm, which she defended against.  
  
She felt a hand touching her shoulder and reacted by turning around, letting her right fist fly at the aggressor's face, but she roughly hit the chest of a massive bull that stared down at her smugly. The bull shoved her on the floor harshly, her body absorbing the cold pain of the concrete floor.  
  
The bull cracked his knuckles, chuckling while his tongue ran over his lips with lust. A -very- disgusted Fana raised her left boot to kick him in the groin, changing his facial expression to that of a world of hurt. The bull doubled over, both arms sinking in his legs as he whimpered like a child in the dark.  
  
The vixen jumped to her feet, avoiding yet another chair that aimed to hit her on the face. The party was getting lively.  
  
Soon, the riot swat team entered the bar, knocking off troublemakers with their iron-embedded nightsticks and force shields that covered them from any harmful projectile being thrown. The authorities came in large quantities, outnumbering everyone inside the bar.   
  
Fana raised her arms just as two policemen jumped at her, knocking her down with brute force. Both officers held her firmly against the floor, shields pressing uncomfortably against her body.   
  
The last thing Fana heard was her right when she blacked out.  
  
***  
  
"...And not to mention the shards of glass on Midrank Geoffrey's face and snout. It took 25 stitches altogether to patch that kid up. His close friend and also a member of high honors in the academy, Tyko, had a broken jaw. Both will be out of duty for the next three weeks. And I am not even going to mention what midrank Frederick went trough. That poor eagle is lucky that his spine was spared from being broken. What do you have to say for yourself, Lt. McCloud?"  
  
My fucking head hurts, Sir. was what Fana tried to reply. Instead, the reply came more or less like a mumble, which didn't made anything easier on her situation. She held a pack of ice over her head with her left arm, fighting a hangover while listening to the charges the "poor" young males filed against her. All of this while interrogated inside a cell of the local police station.  
  
The general doing the interrogation was a mastiff canine with the name of Brokken. He sighed while dropping a massive quantity of paperwork in front of Fana. She looked at it with red-shot eyes, then up at him once more.  
  
"These you have to sign, vixen. Along with the bills from repairing your cybernetic arm here. The academy refused to lend a hand with this, so it will be taken from your salary undoubtedly."  
  
Another mumble and a moan.  
  
"I will resume this case after you get over your headache." The Mastiff said as he got up from his chair and picked up his hat. Two other officers who served as witnesses followed him towards the door.  
  
  
The mechanic did a good job on repairing Fana's right wrist, which got damaged when the swat team lunged at her at full force. The police station gave an apology, stating that it was much too dark inside to distinguish between a drunken thug and a member of the CEF. That certainly added a certain sting to her pride.  
  
headache first. Chewed-out policemen later.  
  
And a bath.  
  
Fana was escorted out of the police department and to the parking lot, where a blue feline was waiting cross-armed while leaning on a black vehicle. He was wearing a black trenchcoat with a gray shirt and black jeans, which covered half his sleek black boots. The feline looked up at her, blue eyes reflecting the sunlight with a passive grin. Fana raised her right arm as a greeting, walking slowly towards him.  
  
"Roo, you are my ray of sunshine."  
  
Roo opened the passenger's seat to Fana, who was almost stumbling while sitting inside. He started the car and drove away from the parking lot, and away from the police station itself. Fana rested her head against the seat, letting a long and loud sigh. She closed her eyes while thinking of a way to knock out this hellish hangover.  
  
"There's some aspirin inside the glove compartment." Roo persuaded, seemingly reading her mind. He drove around the empty streets of the city. Fortuna's cities had a very lively nightlife, not so in the mornings. Fana took a bottle of the miracle drug, a swallowed a couple of pills, without the need of drinking water.   
  
"I apologized for not showing up in time, Fana." Roo said, frowning. "I ran late doing paperwork from the week before in the academy's archives. I should've called you in that bar before that mess started."  
  
"It's alright, Roo." Fana commented without any resentment, she didn't want to make him feel more uncomfortable than he was already. "Don't worry about it, I'm fine. The night was boring before those horny bastards came by to cheer me up anyway."  
  
She smiled tiredly, looking at him.  
  
"It's still my fault for not showing up early, it could've save you all this crap." he stated with a sigh, "I just...hn." He motioned his head to one side, while trying to reach for more words that could make his apology company. Fana raised her left hand and moved it sideways, trying to dismiss this conversation.  
  
Both remained silent until Roo drove by Fana's apartment building. It was located around Fortuna's Academy campus, far away from the city and the bad influences. A 30-minute drive without any traffic. He pulled by the entrance, parking the car besides the sidewalk.  
  
"Well, I guess I will be seeing you next time?" Roo said while turning his face towards her.   
  
"Yeah, well...I guess so, Roo. Thanks for the lift, cat." Fana was closing the door behind her when she heard Roo whistle at her.  
  
"Hey, I forgotten to give you something...my fault for not paying attention." He reached inside his coat and retrieved a brown envelope from it. He handed it over the window to her, stretching his arm to its extent. Fana received the envelope with a raised eyebrow, headache not as irritable as it was a couple of minutes ago.  
  
"What's this?"  
  
"Supposedly for your eyes only. I received one myself, but didn't open it just yet without handing yours here. I always save surprises for last." He grinned with such fanciness that made her smile in return.  
  
"Of course. Thanks again."  
  
"Yes ma'am." Roo got back to his seat and started the car, while Fana got inside the building. He drove out to the streets, leaving her with and envelope and a couple of beady eyes.  
  
The door of the elevator opened to a hallway filled with blue doors side by side, with a red carpet dressing up the floor. She walked past anyone that was walking along, paying no attention to anything or anyone until reaching the door to her own apartment. Cinnamon and apple aromas filled her nostrils as she walked inside, feeling glad that the worst was left behind.  
  
Yet, the 'mystery' that was carrying with her right arm kept telling her otherwise. She was not in the mood for any more surprise news. Good or bad. She left the envelope on top of a glass table while she headed on to the kitchen.  
  
Fana fixed a chicken sandwich, which she headed inside her microwave oven, and poured some soda in a glass filled with ice. A bottle of aspirin was beside the meal, waiting to be swallowed before the rest of the food would be touched.  
  
Fana looked over at the envelope, which seemed to be taunting her from the table. She looked at her fixed meal then at the envelope...then at the aspirin.  
  
"Oh, give me a break." She swallowed another couple of aspirin with the soda this time, and walked towards the envelope.   
  
Whatever this is, it can't be THAT bad...considering the night I just went trough...then again...  
  
Her hands ripped open the envelope, emptying the contents all over the table's surface. Two message cards appeared from it, one encrypted as personal while the other had the CEF emblem on one side. Fana picked up the personal message card, sliding it trough the Holographic display that was placed at the other side of the table.  
  
Static.  
  
Then the image of Fox McCloud materialized in hues of green and black.  
  
"Hello, sis. I hope you receive this message in good health." He bowed his fluffy tail swishing to the left, indicating that his cordiality was not to be taken seriously. Fana could've smile at this if she weren't so damned tired.  
  
"I'm about to be dispatched at a planet called Dinosaur...planet. There was a distress signal not long ago, and General Pepper gave me orders to check it out. He also told me to go on by myself, which couldn't hurt me much. We have not had much activity over here in space for a long time."  
  
Fox rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand, closing his eyes with a hint of annoyance.  
  
"The General also asked me not to bring my blaster along. That was the most bizarre request I had ever. Outrageous." he shrugged, his arms almost vanishing out of view as more static appeared. "I hope things there are not as boring as they are up here. I miss you a great deal."  
  
Fana rested her chin on both hands while letting out a sigh. If he only knew.  
  
"For now I must depart. I will be sending another message to check up on you. Hope you reply soon, and stay out of trouble. I mean that, now."  
  
Fox waved an index finger at her, lowering his head and raising his eyebrows. He later winked to end his joke. "Love you, sis."  
  
With that, the message ended, image blurring out completely. Fana took out the disk and inserted the other message inside. The words CEF: CONFIDENTIAL appeared, shinning brightly on the holographic screen.  
  
This time, the message itself appeared in text, rather than someone narrating it. Fana narrowed her eyes slightly, finishing up the message received. She turned off the holographic reader, getting ready to take a much-needed shower when her phone rang. She picked it up as soon as Roo's name flashed trough the video screen.   
  
"Yeah? Yes. I read it as well, Roo. We will departure as scheduled, mmhm; I will be ready to be picked up. Thanks. You too, see ya then." The thought of showing Brokken a permit to leave the planet nudged her as she prepared herself for the shower. A sly grin made itself apparent on her muzzle.  
  
He wouldn't believe her luck, no suspension, and a chance to leave this hellhole for a good while.  
  
"Perhaps forever" she mused, while entering the hot pleasantries of the shower at full force.  
  
At Fortuna's academy, Senior Officer Brokken felt a slight chill down his spine, all the while talking to the misfortunate (and badly beaten) cadets at the hospital.  
  
***  
  
"McCloud?" Said Jason while staring at Fana's holographic ID. "As in, Fox McCloud?"  
  
"Yes," confirmed Martyr, "She is Captain McCloud's sister. She has been transferred to CEF's station in Fortuna as a way to keep her out of trouble in here. Her file record includes severe punishment on a venomian prisoner while interrogating him, as well as a series of complains from other male officers in hospitalized after they tried to make a move on her. She has ten arrest orders and two suspensions in the last three years."  
  
Jason's chest heaved slowly with a sigh. He crossed his arms while listening to Martyr, which in turn, looked back at him with a serious glance.  
  
"You are wondering why we need a troublemaker in our team, aren't you?"  
  
"Humor me."  
  
Martyr smirked and directed her attention back to Fana's information screen.  
  
"Ensign McCloud has been known to keep a cool head while in battle, despite her difficult temperament problems with most officials of the group. Her tactics in battle has won her various medals of honor, including the Silverfox, won during the run over planet Euforia a year ago."  
  
"You mean the one where CEF managed to eradicate venomian forces using a squadron of five Arwings to lead the attack head on?"   
  
Martyr closed her eyes and rubbed the left side of her temple with her index finger. "Kind of. Four of those Arwings were used as decoys to draw enemy fire away from the sole fighter that finished the run by attaching the commanding ship using everything she had at her disposal. After the commanding ship was destroyed, the rest of the venomian forces retreated into pseudo space, leaving behind their allies to be arrested."  
  
"She?" asked Jason.  
  
"Fana McCloud was the one responsible for the victory. The only reason why this was not included in the report is because she already was undergoing severe penalty issues with CEF itself. If her record would've come up after completing the run..."  
  
"Then CEF would be ashamed that a troublemaker was the reason for their victory." Jason finished. The german shepherd rubbed his eyes slowly, trying to swallow another of CEF's biggest secrets. He started hating coming back a little bit more than before. Martyr typed in the keyboard and Fana's profile file changed into one with a blue-furred male feline. Moments later, the data on him was shown onscreen.   
  
"Ensign Roo. CEF pilot graduate and expert pilot. A merchant who found him as a child wondering the streets of the city adopted him in Fortuna. There is no file of his origin, nor he remembers much of his early childhood. He resided in Corneria long enough for his graduation, then moved back to Fortuna."  
  
The screen blurred once more, showing more of Roo's files and photos. One of them showing the feline holding a blaster aiming at the screen with a smirk on his face.  
  
"Roo has a gun fetish, always calibrating his blasters without acknowledgement from his superiors. This hobby has cost him detentions, but nothing severe. He is quite the silent kind of guy, and easy going. Roo as his friends call him, has won the Hawkeye Shooting Expo five years in a row, and has also won several medals on the infantry division. His marksmanship is exceptional."  
  
"Even to your own standards?' Jason asked and looked over at her. Martyr smirked at him.  
  
"Roo and Fana live within the same neighborhood in Fortuna, and that they both graduated from the same school district before enrolling in CEF. There is also the rumor that they were childhood friends. Maybe that is why he requested to join the team."  
  
"He requested his entry?" Jason blurted out in surprise, "but I though the Phantom project's cadets were hand picked by CEF itself."  
  
"Yes well," Martyr replied after a short pause, "We could use someone with his qualities, you never know."  
  
Jason rubbed his eyes in sheer disbelief, but decided not to comment on this. He blinked at the small note scribed in red lettering on the lower corner of the screen. It read -Confidential-, and he noted that FanaFox had one of them on her profile as well. He pointed at it and looked at Martyr.  
  
"What is that note there for? It seems to be also on Fana's file."  
  
Martyr frowned. "I don't know what it stands for, CEF never gave any specifications as to what is hidden in that part of the profile. However, Roo and FanaFox are the only ones with such notes," He turned back at Jason, "it sure isn't on the profile of our last member in the team."  
  
More secrets from the CEF. Jason wondered if this would be revealed sometime later just like when he knew the motives behind CEF's newest Arwing models. He dismissed that thought for now and motioned Martyr to continue with a lazy arm. She shrugged and keyed in on the keyboard once more. Soon enough there was another profile appearing, this one had the face of a young german shepherd's face, but his facial features were a bit broader and the patches around his eyes were similar to that of a wolf's. Jason furrowed his eyes and his curiosity about this member of the team was a bit stronger than the last two.  
  
"Who...?"  
  
"Ramirez Denetsu Opacare," the coyote female replied, "leader of the 38th CDF squadron. Paperwork about him includes rashness in his actions, although he has done his job as intended. The only problem is that he is impatient, and that has almost cost CEF an entire fleet of the squad. By accepting this mission, CEF agreed to forgive his past actions, and to give him a chance in becoming a bit more responsible for his rashness."  
  
"At the moment he is aboard the Emerald Valiant," she continued, "which will be our transport to Alpha 16. He has already been inscribed into the basic training that will allow him (and the rest of our group) to maneuver the new ARM-16 production bombers."  
  
The screen faded and then recovered, this time displaying a magnificent image of the Emerald Valiant. Jason's eyebrows raised fully and his chin stood comfortably on his right wrist.   
  
"Nice." He said after a long pause of admiration.  
  
  
  
  



	7. Chapter 4: The Emerald Valiant

Chapter 4: The Emerald Valiant.  
  
Spacelog Entry 20116-765:  
  
What a fine ship this was. I never imagined I would set afoot aboard such a piece of art. Only a handful of these were created, unfortunately, since it were created for long range missions, instead of the ones given to smaller craft cruisers.   
  
What it intrigued me the most was the crew it held, however. In all my life as a soldier I have never seen such a group. Leave it to Corneria to supply one of their best ships with a colorful crew.   
  
-Martyr Desertfox   
  
  
The Emerald Valiant was the first of five EM-78 starships built by now resigned Admiral Kanmeros. Its size was twice as big than the Great fox and could hold complete squadrons of Arwings of various types and designs. Its capabilities included vortex jumping, which saved energy when traveling into the furthest of galaxies, and a stealth device that allowed it to appear invincible not only to the naked eye, but also by space radars. Because of its enormous size, the Emerald Valiant didn't had the need for a fleet, its defenses where as good as a well-sized armada.   
  
The inside of the starship was a living city. Crew would live their formal lives inside a small city built for their own needs, living inside apartment buildings built along each other. Pubs and clubs were built inside as well, so it would get lively during off duty times. The Emerald Valiant would dock from spaceport to spaceport to replenish fuel and supplies before every jump into space.   
  
Its size also was a bit of a problem however, since it would barely let it dock into any spaceport around the Lylat sector. Docking the massive frame took a great deal of even the skillful of navigators. Alura Radinov, chief navigator of the ship, was also assigned as a tactics strategist, a job she slightly liked better than a navigator. Since the former navigator was killed in the line of battle, and there was no one to replace him at the time, Alura accepted the position.   
  
Alura prepared herself for another chance at the wheel of the ship, thoughts of publishing her works into a complete novel filled her mind as she strapped on the last insignia of her rank into her steam-cleaned uniform. Every night, she would add a new chapter written in her portable computer pad. Writing was one of her preferred hobbies, and would practice it every time she was by herself. It was a great escape from the solitude she endured at times.  
  
The black-furred Tervuren collie finished strapping her insignia, and walked towards the exit to meet a new day of work in her life. The door opened with a hiss, and the various sounds of the city greeted her ears. Her yellow eyes gazed upon the colorful community and then up to the ship's ceiling. The mechanical structure of it often made her realize she was inside a starship instead of inhabiting a nearby planet.  
  
Alura removed a flock of hair covering her left eye and began walking to the teleportation unit, which would transport her straight to the bridge. Avoiding large crowds, the female quickly inhabited a teleportation room and her body disintegrated in a flash of particles from view, and into the bridge of the colossal starship.  
  
At times, she felt this was the most troublesome part of her job, which was actually trying to get there without having to be drowned by a flock of personnel in their off time.  
  
It was a short time before Alura entered the bridge of the Emerald Valiant, in there, a vixen officer greeted her warmly. The bridge, like most sections of the ship, was a vast place. Ten officers inhabited it, and each one held a different responsibility for the ship. She nodded with a smile to the vixen and walked towards her post, which was right beside the Admiral's chair. Her section sported a small computer screen set on a vertical pedestal. She keyed in her identification, and began working on a simulation file that allowed her review her next move in undocking the Emerald Valiant. A female skunk reared her head and looked up at the collie. The place were the skunk was working for was the systems check and weapons engineering. Besides her, there was another female skunk, with her features reversed of white fur over black. These were twins, and worked together with a psychic link to get things done faster.   
  
The rest of the crew included a young blonde-haired vixen located at the weapons control and targeting section of the bridge. To her left side was yet another female chipmunk, who worked the communications system of the ship. Both were pretty young, and were the highest of their rank chosen for this task. They all were punching into their respective keyboards, looking as busy as they could ever be.  
  
Alura continued with her own task, concentrating with the virtual emulation without paying attention to any sort of distractions around her. She heard the hiss of a door behind her, followed by a thud of metal against something soft. A few seconds later, there was a low groan, and a giggle from one of the young officials at the front of the bridge.  
  
"Seems the Admiral has arrived," the Gazelle said, Alura turned her head around to see him. He was a tall, handsome male husky with black over white fur patterns, his eyes as they visible, were ice blue, with a look of stern and seriousness into them. He bore a navy-blue naval uniform, with crimson outlines that ran all the way trough the sides of it. His hat was navy blue as well, with a golden pin on the center of it. Medals and small tokens of honor decorated his left breast, where his nameplate lay underneath.   
  
The Admiral took off his hat and massaged his forehead. His height was too big for the doorframe, and he kept forgetting this, always having a close encounter with the steel frame of it. The last ship he was in control off had the same perk, and he asked that the next ship's door dimensions could fit his physical appearance. However, that was not the case, and he had to deal with the same ordeal in this ship.   
  
He replaced his hat and walked towards his seat in the ship. The Gazelle gave him a warm smile and nodded to him, Alura gave a slight bow. The Admiral sat down and surveyed the area. Everyone seemed to be doing their part of the job, and there could be no problems getting into orbit once again. His nameplate shone by the light given from the panels everywhere, the name "Cornfern" distinguished trough.  
  
"Alright, good morning ladies. Let's begin with the check-up procedures."  
  
"Weapons and engineering check." the twin skunks said in unison.  
  
"Targeting controls all check, sir." said the vixen.  
  
"Communications and network systems all are check and confirmed." The chipmunk replied.  
  
The Admiral gave a satisfying nod to all and turned his head towards the female gazelle.   
  
"Miss Carmela?"   
  
"Thrusters are at 100% of their capacity and are ready to launch, sir." She replied, "we are clear to go, we are just waiting to undock at your command."  
  
Admiral Confern nodded once more and turned his gaze towards Alura. He observed closely at her screen. She was still working on the virtual assignment.  
  
"Hrm, I hope this is not much trouble for you, Miss Alura." He said respectively, "I am grateful that you could help us to get our ship into space."  
  
Alura turned her head and smiled, her eyes bright and attentive. "There is no problem at all, sir," she said with a heavy accent, "I am glad to help out on what I can."  
  
"Alright then," the Admiral replied and relaxed back to his chair. "Miss Lily, please open up a communication port to all speakers in the ship, we are about to launch."  
  
"Yes sir," the chipmunk replied and began typing in an open port for the Admiral to speak. A few seconds later she stopped and looked on her screen.  
  
"Communication link has been activated, sir."  
  
  
***  
  
"All ships check in, and do not make me repeat myself."  
  
Falco Lombardi exclaimed in his headset to the rest of his team. The Starfalcon squad was formed after he retired from his former team, Starfox and allowed him to have a bit more freedom leading his men on his own, rather than following the orders of another.   
  
"This StarFalcon AR- 67, standing by and waiting for new directives."  
  
"StarFalcon AR-68, standing by."  
  
"StarFalcon, AR-70, standing by sir."  
  
"This is StarFalcon wingman, AR-69. We are approaching the Lylat sector alpha-16. We will come in contact with The Emerald Valiant soon. Be prepared to dock inside the CEF Starcruiser at my command."  
  
An affirmative came in his headset with their respective "sirs" and "rogers".   
  
Falco felt alive.  
  
***  
  
Ramirez drank the last gulp of beer in his mug, and set it down gently on top of the bar. Besides him there were a couple of officers keeping it to themselves in a table besides a wall. The Sly Kitten was the tavern built within the Emerald Valiant to entertain its crew, as well as any other passengers that are transported inside the ship. The tavern was quite small, but it compensated by offering a variety of drinks and snacks. Ramirez was contented with just beer and the occasional peanuts, however.  
  
He was transferred shortly after an incident in Macbeth. One on which he really wanted to forget about. His attention transferred from his mug to a female panther, the bartender who came to refill his drink. She looked to be in her later teens, fur black as night and outlined red as neon lights shone upon her. Her eyes, green emeralds that glittered from a distance. She wore nothing more than a white shirt(which outlined her incredible bust), and faded denim jeans, tight as they could ever be.  
  
"Would you like this to be in your tab as well?"  
  
Ramirez' eyes blinked and affixed from her body to her face. He didn't knew how long she was standing there until she said anything. He cleared his throat and nodded.  
  
"Yeah, that will be fine...what was your name again?"  
  
"The name's Thorne," she said, and leaned over while touching his nose with her index finger. "That'll be the third time I had repeated it, Captain."   
  
Ramirez felt the slight warmth of blush inside his fur. The female panther smiled and refilled his drink, then walked away once more. The panther stopped just before a door and picked up a remote control from the counter. Pressing the buttons on it, she turned on a holographic screen just above the mirrors that were mounted on the wall. With some other buttons pressed, the screen switched to an intergalactic channel featuring news across the Lylat sector. She then replaced the remote and walked inside a small cabin trough the door. Ramirez refrained from going back to his problems, instead, he drank from his mug, swallowing a good-sized gulp that washed down in his throat. He looked up at the screen, featuring a female rabbit with her fur neatly groomed and her ears doubled behind her head. She wore a dark hued dress, which was all that was seen since the colors of the screen were limited to dark hues of green and yellow.  
  
"Authorities of the Lylat sector have escorted the space police's spaceship holding former wingman and renowned CEF traitor Marx Velldale."  
  
Ramirez took another sip as the reporter continued.   
  
"Marx Velldale served 3 years in the galactic prison after he was found guilty of smuggling ammunition from Corneria to the planet Venom. His trial lasted six months, on which evidence of his actions were gathered to make a final decision on his case."  
  
"Hey, is that avian who made news in the last couple of months..." one of the officers exclaimed on the back of the bar. Ramirez simply kept his eyes on the screen. The image changed and blurred from displaying the female rabbit to a photography of the felon, a male falcon with a look of anger on his face.  
  
"Former wingman Marx Velldel served five years in CEF's military air force. In archived documentation, it reveals that his family was destroyed during the attack on Corneria by Venom. Rumors state that this led him to go berserk and quit CEF entirely. There are still shady speculations as to why the convict helped Venom. When asked about this, General Pepper declined any information about it."  
  
Again the screen faded and was recreated in the form of Pepper's canine outline. He was looking straight at the side of a camera, with a set of microphones surrounding his face.   
  
"I have no comment about this. CEF does not wish to disclose any information about this incident. No comment."  
  
With that, the image faded out, and the reporter's face appeared once more.  
  
"Marx Velldel will be transferred to Sector Z, a new reinforced galactic prison of high security. This will take place within the following hours. Stay tuned for more information at the eleven o'clock news. This is Diva McKensy, signing off, have a nice evening."  
  
A cheery fanfare and he news were over.  
  
Ramirez turned his head towards the door as it opened, and noticed a humongous silhouette framed against he source light of the city outside. The door closed behind the hulking figure, revealing a tall wolf, which walked inside the bar with a slow pace. He had gray fur that shone red against the neon lights, leaving traces of silvery strands around his frame. He wore a black shirt and denim jeans as well as a pair of shades covering his eyes. Ramirez has seen this male before, it was a regular of the bar who told him of the bouncer that guarded this place.  
  
Ramirez felt a bit of tension as the massive frame walked towards his direction. The wolf stopped inches away from his seat, and Ramirez found himself pulling his body backwards involuntary, ears flattening to the back of his skull. He looked up at the wolf, which retrieved his shades. His eyes had a red tint to them, which glared down at the startled canine.  
  
"Have you seen the bartender?" he asked in a tone of voice that betrayed his rough features. Ramirez felt a lot relaxed when he heard this, and pointed to the other end of the bar, just near the door that led to the cabin. The wolf nodded and jumped over the counter to walk towards it. Ramirez saw him opening the door, and then closed it behind him with nothing much done.   
  
After this event, Ramirez snapped back to reality, he found that his other hand was hooding the mug with an iron grip. What the hell was that all about...?  
  
He shook his head and drank another gulp.   
  
A siren was heard outside the building, which made Ramirez' ears perk up once more.   
  
"This is Admiral Confern addressing all personnel onboard active and off-duty. The Emerald Valiant will take off in one hour. Every crew moment off duty must remain inside quarters at this point, if you are not within your own quarters' reach, seek refuge inside the nearest shelter located within the city. For all operational crew onboard, make the necessary adjustments before taking off, again, this ship will undock in approximately one hour. That will be all."  
  
Ramirez finished the rest of his drink and set the mug on the counter with a loud thud. He stood up and walked outside the bar in a hurried manner. The other two officers watched him go with indifference, then resumed their respective drinking manners.  
  
A few seconds later, the cabin's door was opened and the panther walked out shrugging off the massive arms of the wolf in a playful manner.  
  
"...hold on, Seth! I gotta check on something..."  
  
She affixed her shirt and walked around with a rag on her right hand, dusting and cleaning any spills she found on the counter. The officers at the end made-believe they didn't heard anything, they knew better than to confront the bouncer in any manner. She found Ramirez' seat empty, mug stationed in the same condition.   
  
She raised an eyebrow and retreated to the cash register, she shuffled around money cards until she found the Captain's.   
  
Well, at least his tab will be paid for.  
  
"Hey panther...somethin' the manner?" The wolf said, while closing the cabin's door.   
  
"Oh nothing, wuff...just scanning the last round before we close the place."  
  
She swiped the card trough the reading scanner, and then checked out Ramirez' account. That being done, she slid the card into the back pocket of her jeans, and waltzed back to her lover.  
  
***  
  
"Communication link offline, sir."  
  
"Very well, let us commence our scheduled routine, then. Miss Alura?"  
  
Alura nodded to him and turned to her monitor screen. She punched the commands onscreen, making the frame of the Emerald Valiant appear in a three-dimensional pattern. A few seconds later, the entire structure on which the vast ship was docked appeared. Sins of various shapes and forms appeared surrounding the ship, indicating the best way to undock it without creating any physical damage to both ship and the space station.  
  
The main screen at the bridge flashed the visual of the original ship in real time, allowing the Admiral to evaluate the process. This image was coming from a direct connection with the space station's cameras.   
  
She breathed slowly before any attempts of undocking the ship were made. Alura took the manual navigation controls, which override any automatic settings that the ship's computer offered. She turned her head to the Admiral and nodded once again.  
  
"I have control over the ship, sir. Awaiting your orders to undock."  
  
"Make it so, Miss Alura." He said. Alura returned her gaze onscreen, and moved her fingers in an array of memorized switches and buttons that allowed her to turn on the thrusters, which responded immediately after her manual command was acknowledged. A faint rumbling sound came from the speakers located at each side of the main screen.   
  
Carmelia's screen flashed a faint glow of green, replacing all the yellow bits surrounding the ship. "Thrusters are now active and in full power, we are set to go."  
  
Alura moved the control stick sideways, then to the left. On her screen, the frame moved slowly, parting from the dock that were it was parked. On the main screen however, the massive ship seemed motionless, thrusters burning in a flare of reds and blues. Alura was grateful that she did not had to pay attention to that optical illusion.  
  
She moved the controls to the right as a yellow light blinked on the left corner of her screen. This meant that the ship was getting closer to a foreign object, continuing in this direction might of create a collision. If the light turned red, it would be too late for her to turn and evade the space station successfully.  
  
Admiral Cornfern rubbed his chin and nodded with satisfaction. So far so good.  
  
Alura stopped the controls after all the lights turned form yellow to green. She turned on the automatic pilot after such lights blinked blue. The ship was now leveled and could undock by itself without any danger of crashing with the space station itself.  
  
"Ship balanced, sir." Alura reported after taking a short gulp of air.   
  
"Understood, Miss Alura. Miss Carmelia, allow full power to thrusters."  
  
"Yes sir," the Carmelia replied. "All thrusters now at their full power, we are go."  
  
With that, the Emerald Valiant made its wondrous voyage into the stars, leaving an inspired Alura wondering what will she be able to see before they reached their fateful destination.  
  
  



	8. Chapter 5: Space Scum

_A traitor they said. Someone who sided with the enemy for his own gain. CEF covered up this pretty easily, making Marx Vedell one of the most hated beings in this side of the galaxy. _

The truth is...well; everybody alive has his or her own versions of the truth. I will not get far into this; there has been many versions of why this fellow did what he did.

At times, you do what you must to replace what you held dear in life.

__

-**Martyr Desertfox **

Spacelog Entry 20116-777

Chapter 5: Space scum

"Hrm. Arwings."

Commander Balrog peered trough the radar, noticing the small group of CEF fighters closing into his convoy. There was a hail onscreen, and he gave his officers the go to answer.

"This is Lieutenant Falco Lombardi, wingman of StarFalcon. We are on a trek to contact the Emerald Valiant and noticed your convoy along. Are you in need of assistance with your voyage? Over."

"This is Commander Balrog of the 14th regiment of the Lylat federation police. We are grateful for your offer, Lieutenant, but we are fine a we are. Be on your way, over."

There was a short silent pause, then Falco's voice came trough the speaker once more, "Alright, we wish you best of luck then. We will still be around this sector in case you need help. This is Falco Lombardi signing off, over."

"Understood, Lieutenant. Godspeed to you. Commander Balrog over and out."

The radar screen was clear of the Arwings, and the bulldog sighed.

"Damn military pencil necks. They guard the sector from Venom and they think everybody needs their help. Officer Gabriel, how far are we form our destination?"

"Approximately 44 clicks, sir." came the reply from a uniformed canine. His facial features were hidden inside a helmet, which also had a dark visor covering his eyes. The only visible feature of him was a muzzle, sharp and long, covered with brown and yellow fur. The ship they were in was an armored spaceship, colored in a variety of blues and whites. The rest of the convoy consisted of two more police fighters, one on each side of the armored ship.

This transport was built specially to take high-security criminals to another space jail colony. It could hold up to ten passengers, three of which were the officers in the bridge section of the ship. Six of the criminals would be fastened in seats in the rear section, which was heavily sealed from anything else. Another room was further down the ship, which would contain one criminal with a higher record than the rest. Usually, this would be the section for the most dangerous of criminals, and it would be sealed completely from anything else, including its incarcerated mates.

In this case, the sole passenger the ship carried was aboard that same room, there was no one else that the convoy was transporting. 

"Good, keep it steady. I will check on our guest of honor. Contact me if something comes up."

"Yes sir," the officer replied. 

*****

"Well, that's what I get for offering my help."

Falco's squadron sped up towards their destination. He held inside a comment towards the Commander, especially when he replied in such tone of voice. The falcon shrugged, and decided to concentrate on his own assignment. The rest of the ships formed a line behind him, following his directions to the letter. At least he did not had to worry about their behavior.

_I wonder whom they were transferring. _He thought. He hasn't seen a convoy in months, and the last time one attempted to cruise trough this side of the galaxy never made to its destination. There were rumors of many dangers on sector Z. This was one of the reasons why he did not want to take this route towards the Emerald Valiant.

"Team StarFalcon, we will begin warp speed in two minutes. Set your Arwings to mode-7, over and out."

An instant reply confirming his orders was heard, and Falco began the preparations on his fighter.

*****

"Welcome to Hangar 78, my name is Azrael Morbiary, chief mechanic."

The male tiger saluted Jason and Martyr, who in turn, saluted respectively. The place was pretty varied in length and space, leaving room for plenty of arwings to be stationed inside. They walked togheter, following the tiger troughout the place. Jason took a good glance over every fighter they passed by.

"We have heard that you may need a new designed of starfighters for your mission," the tiger continued, walking along. Martyr elbowed Jason lightly just to snap him from his daydreaming. Jason stared at her momentarily, catching a brief smile vanishing from her muzzle.

"And a new design is what we just created, I think you may like what you are going to take up in the infinite vastness of space."

"A bit poetic there, don't you think Azrael?"

The tiger turned his head to look at Martyr and smirked.

"As poetic as a venomian waving a white flag, Lieutenant."

They followed until they found themselves in front of a custom-designed Arwing. Its features were heavier and bigger than the regular starship, the tip and end of wings were colored in a crimson hue, and the rest of the body was a silvery finish. On each end of the cockpit, rested a pair of missile cubes, each comfortably resting on the top of the wings. The area on top of the nose had a silhouette of a red dragon printed on it, something that got Jason's attention quickly.

"This...it can't be..."  


The tiger nodded and rested a right paw over the frame. "Yessir, one of the M-16 Arwings reconstructed from its fateful retirement three years ago. CEF customized it enough to make it more maneuverable, and fixed a few bugs in the frame just so it could support the extra weight. Fellow officers, I present you the StarDragon Arwing. Two cabins full of cluster missiles, a capacity of five smart bombs, and an extra set of heavy laser fire all in one tiny package."

Jason walked around the ship, exploring its detail and features. This was the same model that he flew in all those years ago, but the changes on it made it seem like a complete different vessel. Martyr was busy signing paperwork to the mechanic, so there was plenty of time for him to check out the model. He climbed to the cockpit, looking trough the glass at the controls. The likeness stopped there.

The interior was something completely alien to him, controls and buttons that were not present in the earlier model were now everywhere. The seat seemed a lot smaller as well. There were a few screens on either side of the cockpit, but no signs of wiring connecting them to the dashboard. The lever at the middle seemed to be only thing familiar to him.

He felt the yank of his tail and turned his head at Martyr, who was right below him. 

"If you are finish inspecting your new toy, then we can go into training. This bird will be something you will have to get used to soon enough."

"Yeah...alright."  


They both followed Azrael to the exit, Jason felt a ghostly sensation deep inside his mind. He wished that events would not repeat themselves now that he had a new responsibility on his paws. Martyr enclosed an arm around his, and lend her support over his uneasiness. The hangar door closed slowly behind them, announcing the end of another day at CEF.

***

"How far are we from the Lylat star system, Miss Alura?"

"Approximately two hundred clicks away, sir. The thrusters are doing a fine job pushing us to the desired destination."

"Good, I trust them to be." Admiral Cornfern said, his hands cupped in front of his snout. The Emerald Valiant's speed could shadow every other smaller vessel of its type, something that came in handy in case an emergency should appear in the vast, cold regions of space. The rest of the crew kept keyed in commands and make them appear on screen as needed, multitasking just so they may fix any problems at hand...before they happened. The twin skunks were the most silent of them all, the only noise coming from their hands tapping into the keyboard. 

The husky sighed. An uneventful evening at most, but he was glad that everything was alright. No disputes among his crew, and no sights of the enemy elsewhere. If anything, this might've been a good time to relax on his own room and have a nice cup of coffee to soothe his uneasiness. It always bothered him whenever things seem to be under perfect control.

"It must be just a nagging thought..." he said outloud. Alura and Carmela both stared back at him.

"Sir?" Carmela was the first to ask.

"Nothing, just thinking outloud, Miss Carmela." 

"Yes sir." she said, turning while giving Alura a smiling gaze. Alura resisted the urge to chuckle, she had never been around someone as Admiral Cornfern before. She felt the seniority in him, his seriousness...but there was something different that stood our from most bitter officers she encountered during the first years of her life in CEF.

She felt quite comfortable as a matter of fact.

At that same moment, a flash of orange colors appeared on her screen. A small digital text appeared on the lower right side of her screen that read "Unidentified Spacecraft Approaching."

She turned her head to Carmela, whose fingers were already flying trough the keyboard. Her attention then turned to the Admiral, whose furrowed eyebrows told her he was well aware of the sight. 

"Report, Miss Carmela."

"It is a vast number of vessels, sir." The Giselle said with a neutral tone of voice, "many seem to be of warcraft design, although our scanners have not picked up just where are they from."

The Admiral turned to Alura.

"Are the ships within our range, Miss Alura?"

Alura turned to her screen. The radar picked up the signal that was indeed very close to the Emerald Valiant, but they seemed to be moving in a slow, steady pace. All the ships also moved in a linear manner, as if they were a convoy of a sort.

"Yes sir, and they keep advancing, they seem to be unaware of our presence."

"I see. Cut our engines then."

"Sir?" Alura asked.

"We will wait until they are within our communication range. Miss Lily, prepare all available channels to hail the ships when I give the order."

"Yes sir." the chipmunk said and made the necessary preparations for the communication link. 

"Miss Rita, Tammy? Set shields to full, but do not give out code yellow just yet."

"Aye, Admiral." both said in unison.

"Sir, the ships have not stopped their speed, they are advancing toward us." Carmela informed.

"Onscreen." Cornfern said, and the main monitor changed into a large radar, while displaying the silhouettes of the entire fleet that was closing in. The female chipmunk looked back at him, with a question on her face. The Admiral nodded at her, and a hail was transmitted from a satellite gun on top of the ship. Moments later, a thin ray of light in a bluish hue was shot, advancing towards the first ship of the opposing fleet.

There was no reply.

"Hail them again, Miss Lily."

Another shot was made, but again, it was ignored. The ships kept advancing, without taking notice of the Emerald Valiant's presence. They seemed not to steer away from their path as well.

"Code yellow. Prepare all targeting systems and weapons, Miss Marion, prepare to shoot a warning shot at my command, is that understood?"

"Yes sir, all weapons are at the ready."

Admiral Cornfern was hoping that the ships may had a malfunction on their communications link, then again, he did not know just who they were dealing with just yet. He hoped for the best.

But the ships never slowed their pace.

"Shoot the warning shot."

A beam of light appeared from their ship towards the approaching vessels. In the radar, the laser beam missed the entire fleet, but just barely. 

"The fleet has stopped, sir." Carmela inquired. "They seemed to be now within our visible reach.

"Onscreen." Cornfern pleaded. The green and yellow holographic view changed to a full color screen with the ships floating around the galaxy full of stars. A small variety of ships came into view, all having the appearance of warships, most of them had a rusty look on their surfaces, as if they were scrapped off any kind of color, others had just enough paint to distinguish themselves from the rest, but none of them had any insignia that could decipher their identity. Cornfern's fists tightened, he felt a sudden pressure on the back of his mind. One of them, the very first ship to come into view, had a familiar look to it, and he was not the only one to distinguish the design. 

Alura turned her head with an alarmed look on her face. "Sir, the visual match is in par with that of Venomian starfleet ships...but it does not make sense why all their ships have been robbed of their own color and rank design, furthermore, it does not show any kind of damage on their ships, it was as if they were stripped from their surface intentionally."

"Space pirates perhaps?" The Admiral inquired.

"Perhaps, sir..." Alura said, and looked back at the main screen.

_This does not make any sense, if they are indeed space pirates they should know this part of the galaxy is far too protected to fly across unnoticed. _Alura thought. Her thoughts crossed in her mind as fast as her fingers tapped onto the keyboard. She relied messages towards every other terminal inside the bridge, giving options to each officer about courses of action that would be present during the following seconds of the ordeal. 

"Miss Alura."

"Sir, I recommend trying our radios signals now that they are in range." the collie suggested. Cornfern sighed deeply, shifting on his seat. "Indeed, Miss Lily, open up a communications link and hail the halted vessels. We will give them another chance."

The chipmunk replied to his commands and began opening up any available channels to contact the crude-looking starships. She held her headset and pushed her microphone piece close to her mouth.

"This is CEF-03 Emerald Valiant of the Cornerian Elite Force. We request identification of your vessels, over."

Lily held her earpiece, waiting for a reply, but again, it never came out. The communications officer repeated the message once more and waited.

No reply.

Admiral Cornfern closed his eyes and tried his best not to come to conclusions. This was not going the way he intended, and the pressure was just building up. If the Emerald Valiant was no more than a flying fortress, he could've already made forced action towards the opposing starships. Fact was, his ship had crew and innocent bystanders inside of it, and he was not going to risk any of their lives by making the wrong choice. He opened his eyes once more and stared down at Alura, who observed his behavior the whole time. 

"Sir, maybe their communications link was damaged...perhaps w should wait until they send a signal back to us?"

The husky leaned his head to the left and rested his chin on a fist. He was going to consider this.

With a nod, he straightened himself and looked straight at Lily. "Miss Lily, hail them once more."

"Yes sir," the chipmunk said and repeated the message once more.

"Miss Marion, prepare main cannons and cluster missile units. Target the leading ship."

Alura felt the fur at the back of her neck stiffen. Would the Admiral actually give the order to fire without any signs of threat given from that fleet? She turned her head once again to see his face. The Admiral nodded at her confirming this course of action.

_Don't do this, Admiral..._

There was still no reply, and Cornfern gave the go ahead to target the ship. The vixen gave back a confirmation, all that was needed was his order to fire upon the main cruiser that led the ominous caravan in space. 

That was all it needed to star a galactic fight, a straight order from a superior officer.

"Miss Marion, at my command, fire upon-"

"This is spaceship three of nine. Emerald Valiant, please reply to our message, over."

The hail resounded throughout the room as Lily set it on to the main speakers. Admiral Cornfern's ears perked and his sight was now fixed upon the mainscreen. Alura sighed with a great sense of relief. When she turned her head towards Carmela, she fond out that she too, was in the same kind of worry as her. 

"Miss Carmela, onscreen."

The image switched entirely to reveal the face of a reptilian entity. His features were those of a upper-class officer, with yellow eyes and a variety of sharp prominent scales that were outlined at the sides of his nose. His uniform was a washed out crimson venomian attire, with no nametag at his breast and a single star on the front of his military cap. The rank suggested that he was a captain, and although there were no other noticeable features, the uniform was indeed, of venomian design.

"Greetings, CEF starship, my name is Captain Leonard Fernsdale, speaking from the...Venomian starcruiser Galileo. I deeply apologize for not answering your hails earlier on, our communications link was being repaired at the time."

Cornfern looked at Alura, who did not turned back, but her facial expression changed, her eyes raised to realize her guess was right on the spot. 

"Captain Fernsdale, this is Admiral Ulysses Cornfern of the CEF naval force, please state your intentions of navigating trough the Lylat system."

The captain at the screen shifted his pose and then nodded. "We are embarking on a exile from Venom. Our ships are not fighters at all, rather, we are transporting innocent civilians to a safer side of the galaxy. We only carry our basic weaponry to defend ourselves should the opportunity appear."

Cornfern found this hard to swallow, but he deprived from showing any signs of disbelief. Alura and some of the officers however, were equally confused about the manner. 

"Should what you just told us is true," Cornfern declared, "we would still have to undergo an inspection in your ships, Captain. We cannot let you pass unless our inspection proves your statement."

The Captain's expression changed from a calm officer to that of an insulted civilian. 

"I assure you, Admiral, that we do not have anything to hide, furthermore-"

"That is understandable, Captain." Cornfern said, cutting off the venomian's comment, "but you are in the Lylat system frontier, close to our home quarters, and we are still in the middle of war with your own planet. I cannot allow you to continue unless an inspection is done."

"Very well," said Leonard, with a hurt tone on his voice, "We shall meet your requirements to the letter, but I assure you that I cannot stand by and frighten the innocent we carry towards their freedom, you must promise not to harm our people, otherwise we WILL defend ourselves."

"Understood, Captain. Now if you please, send us an ultimatum with the code White-F15, and we will be on our way."

The Captain's posture leaned backwards a bit, with his eyes opened up to its fullest. There was look of shock and disbelief. White-F15 is a term for surrender, on which the enemy would send towards the opposing forces if the chips were down altogheter. The Captain had only seconds to think about this, since they were indeed, within enemy lines. He replied with a nod, and the screen was turned off. Cornfern waited patiently.

"Sir, permission to speak freely." Alura offered. Cornfern nodded at her.

"I...I do not know what to make of this, but I am sure you and the rest of our crew are in the same boat, so to speak. Although I have heard rumors of small groups of venomian officers escape trough space from Andross' power. Do you suppose this captain is telling us the truth?"

"We will have to wait and see, Miss Alura." Cornfern answered calmly. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, the humming of computers at stand by was the only thing audible for the moment, Alura moved her eyes from one sector on the screen to their other, trying to keep her nerves calm.

"Sir, I am receiving a message from the Galileo."

"Onscreen, Miss Lily."

Again, the image of Fersndale appeared. His expression seemed the same, hurt and saddened, but this time he had a look of determination on his eyes. Cornfern was expecting something positive out of this.

"Greetings once more, Admiral. I am sending you our ultimatum of surrender , hoping that we may at least cruise trough Lylat without any sort of conflict. You shall receive it within seconds."

"Captain Leonard, this is Admiral Cornfern, we accept your terms of surrender and will wait your ultimatum in our transcript reports. Over and out."

Leonard bowed slightly and the screen went black once more. The machine came alive besides ensign Lily with the ultimatum printed in bold black and red inks. She ripped the edges off and read it outloud to the Admiral. Cornfern nodded throughout the entire report and finally allowed to relax his over-tensed muscles. 

"Thank you Miss Lily. Miss Marion, prepare the fusion laser beams and leave them at stand by. Miss Lily, open a direct channel to the Galileo and wait for my signal."

Everyone was already finishing up what Cornfern had ordered before Lily began opening the direct channel. After she nodded to the Admiral, Cornfern began his speech.

"Starship Galileo, this is Admiral Cornfern from CEF Emerald Valiant. Let me tell you the lowdown on what's going to transpire..."

An exchange of military customs were done between the two military officers. As Alura listened attentively, she noticed that, despite all cusrumstances, both forces seemed to be equal in expertise. It felt strange to talk to an ex-member of the enemy forces about peace, even indirectly.

It was a full hour before the terms were met, and Confern asked to close communications with Galileo. She only imagined how many families were inside those cargo ships, waiting for a better chance of living in a New World. Many young kids with their parents depending on the decisions of one single man.

Kids with their fathers and mothers to hold them close until danger was out of their life.

"Very well, Captain. I shall inform Corneria about your whereabouts and they should send out help to aid you in your search, if anything. For the time being, I ask you to be patient and stay with us a while longer while our crew inspect your vessels. Do not be alarmed, I ensure none of your passengers shall endure damage of any kind."

"I shall await patiently, Admiral." Leonard replied in a calm tone of voice, "On behalf of our people aboard we thank your understanding. Starship Galileo over and out."

"Miss Carmela, ready the turrets, Miss Marion, prepare to target all ships visible."

"Weapons at one-hundred percent capacity, Admiral." Carmela informed after punching in the commands on her keyboard. 

"Commencing targeting sequence." Marion said, her yellow eyes moving in all directions of her screen. Beeps and chimes confirmed each vessel in front of the Emerald Valiant, as the screen displayed a row of the venomian-class ships aligned beside each other. The vixen turned her head towards Carmelia, nodding.

"Targeting sequence succeeded, sir. Weapons are now in stand by." The gazelle said, making the final preparations for the Admiral to give out the order. 

"Fire the cannons, then."

A massive yellow light covered appeared from the main screen. Each laser beam struck its target, immobilizing it until it show no signs of activity. One by one, the venomian cruisers were hit with the laser beams, until the last ship was immobilized.

"Targets have been neutralized, sir." Carmela reported, "all of their systems except for life support have been disabled. Their ships are now at thirty-six percent of their capacity."

"Well done, ladies. "  


Cornfern risked from his chair and turned towards Carmela. 

"Carmela, you will be in charge for the time being, I will be in my headquarters. Also, send for the Arwing squad that will aid into the inspection of the venomian ships."

"Aye-aye, Admiral."

"Miss Lily, send an ultimatum to Corneria, let them know everything that has transpired in the last two hours. Send any feedback towards my office. I will not accept calls of any other nature, understood?"

"Yes, sir"

Cornfern now turned towards Alura.

"Miss Alura, if you please would follow me. I will require your assistance."

Alura turned her head towards the Admiral with a look of confusion. Nevertheless, the female nodded and set the ship override to automatic. She then left her post and followed the Admiral out of the bridge, with an audible mumble coming from Cornfern after his head hit the rim of the door before his exit.

Carmela then sat on the Admiral's chair, assuming control of the ship.

"All systems neutral, we don't need to alarm our friends out there. Set code blue to all posts, but be mindful of the ships on our screens."

Everyone replied and did as command. The twin skunk females exchanged knowing glances after the Admiral left his post, and both shared a smirk.


	9. An Interlude

AN INTERLUDE:

__

You suppose they are telling the truth? Rita asked her twin telepathically.

I would shrug if I could at the moment, sister, but I guess it's true if our Admiral has given the go ahead.

Hm...well, this is proving most interesting.

That it does, sis. Tammy replied in an amusement thought.

By the way, are you going to do that night out coming this weekend?

Maybe.

What do you mean "Maybe?"

That depends if Alura wishes to join us. 

Ah yes...the daydreamer.

Both chuckled in their minds.

__

Yeah, figured she would need something to keep her snout from those books. A shame to waste such good looks on dusty paper. Not that I am saying she would be attractive enough for me to date.

Uh-huh.

What? 

Nothing, just hoping we do have that night out.

Same here, sis.


End file.
